Spartan Newsroom (http://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/education/higher-education/)
On the first episode of Focal Point News this semester, we look at the vaping ban Governor Whitmer enacted. Also, Michigan is now a ‘no-kill’ state, what does that mean? Plus, MSU adds new bike lanes to make biking safer. In sports, we recap the women’s golf journey in the Mary Fossum Invitational and how a new emerging sport is rising in popularity. The trailer for the new “Frozen” came out this week, we’ll look at it in our entertainment segment.
How do international students keep track of news and events in their home countries? Michigan State University students from Turkey, China and Zambia explain. By Mila Murray.
On this edition of Focal Point News, General Motors workers are on strike for equal benefits. Also, students moving into the newest East Lansing sky rise, The Hub, experienced some unexpected complications. Plus, East Lansing and Ann Arbor were listed in the top ten for fastests growing rent.
In sports, Michigan State football had a homecoming date with Indiana last week, with a high scoring affair between the two teams.
In entertainment, Spider Man is set to return to the big screen.
These stories and more on Focal Point.
State education officials are trying to make it easier for students to transfer from community colleges to the state’s four-year universities. They’ve already created a website for students to test their credits to see if they will transfer. Now they hope to restructure community college curriculum for popular degree programs before the end of the year. We talk to officials at Grand Valley State University and the Michigan Community College Association. By Evan Jones.
Electronic sports, or esports, is on the rise in the country. With the rise in popularity, many school districts have added esports to their list of school sponsored sports. Okemos High School doesn’t offer esports as a sponsored sport, but Brian Fuller, the athletic director, see’s the potential. “Anything that can potentially add to the educational value of the students, I think the district has an obligation to at least investigate,” he said. According to their website, they currently offer 31 sponsored sports from wrestling to golf to football.
For 18 years, East Lansing and Michigan State University have joined forces to provide to encourage its residents – permanent and temporary ones — to read. The One Book One Community committee selects a book for incoming Michigan State University freshmen and the local East Lansing community to read. “We meet once a week year-round and we discuss books, themes and programming,” said Kristin Shelley, the director of East Lansing Public Library, and on One Book One Community’s planning committee. “We are constantly reading and throwing titles out.”
This year, the committee decided to include the community in the selection process. “We narrowed it down to three books,” said Shelley.
Graduate students face a variety of key issues that can cause stress and hardship, including a sense of isolation and financial distress.
Okemos and Williamston High School students started noticing a few years ago an increase in vaping in as well as after school, which mirrors what teenagers and adults are seeing across the country.
Hoping to ease the pressure surrounding SAT testing, high schools in the Haslett, Okemos and Williamston areas have implemented preparatory programs to increase student confidence levels.
While the athletes are iconic to the MSU sports world, there’s another group fans root for at every game and they’re looking for more to join. The Spartan Marching Band and Spartan Brass are searching for their next members. The marching band plays at the football games while brass plays at the other sporting events. There are between 70 and 80 spots available with the marching band this coming year from drum line to color guard to flag core. “Even if you’re on campus as a junior or senior, I would encourage you to come out and audition,” David Thornton, marching band director, said.
After years of classes, long hours at the library and cramming for exams, it’s finally arrived… graduation. This week marks the end of the spring semester which means graduation is right around the corner. Students are preparing for the big day by buying their cap and gown as well as the colored tassel to match their college. They can also be spotted throughout the campus taking pictures in their ceremony outfit at the historic locations that Michigan State is known for.